The Santa Rosa County Tourism Development Committee (TDC) approved $61,225 in grants Tuesday, June 7 to fund 18 events such as festivals, 5Ks, concerts, parades and even butterfly tagging in the county. The funds are part of the bed-tax budget for the 2016-2017 fiscal years. Bed taxes are collected on visitors to the county who […]

The highly anticipated nesting season for sea turtles began May 1 and continues until October 31. Navarre Beach is home to four of the six of the species of sea turtles listed as threatened or endangered and protected by the Endangered Species Act; loggerhead, green, leatherback and Kemp’s ridley. “Starting the first of May we […]

Visitors trying to buy marijuana robbed A Cincinnati Ohio couple vacationing in Destin was robbed at gunpoint Thursday night after they tried to buy drugs from a man near Fort Walton Beach. The 30-year old male says his girlfriend was driving him around as he tried to find $80 worth of marijuana to purchase. An […]

The longtime sharing of county tourist tax dollars with the City of Gulf Breeze that was abruptly halted by Clerk of the Court Don Spencer last fall should be restarted, said Commission Chairman Lane Lynchard. Last October Spencer ordered a stop to providing Gulf Breeze with up to $134,000 a year in the taxes collected […]

When you buy a house, you negotiate the sales price. When you buy a car, you negotiate the bottom dollar on the car. When you take a new job, you negotiate the salary and terms of your employment. Very few things in life are set in stone – most things are negotiable. Our county seems […]

The National Naval Aviation Museum, located aboard Pensacola Naval Air Station once again has earned national recognition. The museum, the world’s largest naval aviation museum, was ranked a “Top 20 Museum in the USA” by Yelp in December, confirming its place among the best museums in the country to visit. The museum came in at […]

Wresting control of some local tourist tax dollars to use for statewide leisure industry promotion and fund law enforcement may sound like a good idea in Tallahassee, but it’s getting mixed reviews hereabout. State Rep. Matthew Gaetz, chairman of the House Tax and Finance Committee, recently proposed legislation allowing up to 10 percent of bed […]

Visitors at Fort Pickens had an opportunity to take a trip back in time on a cool but sunny Saturday morning. The historic military installation along the Gulf Islands National Seashore was made to look as though it would have during the Civil War era. Several tents were set up and Civil War re-enactors were […]

Florida set another record in tourism by welcoming the highest amount of visitors of any six months in the state’s history – 54.1 million – according to VISIT FLORIDA. The number represents a 5.8 increase over the year. In the second quarter of 2015 (April through June), 25.8 million visitors came to the state, an […]

Gov. Rick Scott announced that Florida set another record in tourism numbers by welcoming the highest amount of visitors of any quarter in the state’s history according to VISIT FLORIDA. According to preliminary numbers, in the first quarter of 2015 (January through March), 28.4 million people visited the state, an increase of 6.2 percent over the […]

With the exception of June grass and traffic, visitors and locals seemed to have nothing to complain about on a sunny and hot July 4 on Navarre Beach. “We stake out our spot on the beach early, and then spend the day,” said Navarre resident Dirk Cannedy, who was enjoying a game of cornhole with friends. Read […]